


Don't Run Away Before You Tell Her You Love Her

by lalagirl16



Series: Be Less Single Route Oneshots [3]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: F/M, Kinda, Puppy Love, angst but also fluff? then more angst? with a happy end?, be less single, brooke lohst is an angel, brooke route inspired, jeremy thinks he doesnt deserve love, uhhhh ok thats enough tags, why does no one ship brooke and jeremy its gooooood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 17:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14774000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalagirl16/pseuds/lalagirl16
Summary: | Message from Brooke Lohst |: hey jeremy! can we meet up for coffee sometime this week?Jeremy stared at the text displayed on his lock screen, mouth hanging open in disbelief. He could handle this. He could handle this… All he had to do was change his name, burn off his fingerprints with acid, and move away to some foreign country so Brooke had absolutely no chance of finding him. Yeah, that was a feasible plan, right?





	Don't Run Away Before You Tell Her You Love Her

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Aramiplus (aramiplusart on tumblr) the 2nd place winner of the BLS main menu contest. GO CHECK OUT THEIR ART... IT IS A++++++++++

 

| _Message from Brooke_ _Lohst_ |: hey jeremy! can we meet up for coffee sometime this week?

 

Jeremy stared at the text displayed on his lock screen, mouth hanging open in disbelief. He could handle this. He could handle this… All he had to do was change his name, burn off his fingerprints with acid, and move away to some foreign country so Brooke had absolutely no chance of finding him. Yeah, that was a feasible plan, right?

 

| _Message from Brooke Lohst_ |: i really need to talk to you

 

Nope. Nope nope nopety nope nope. Not going to happen. Even if Brooke probably didn’t want to meet just to yell at him, he couldn’t go. Even if he owed her big time. Even if she was a genuinely sweet and forgiving person who probably just wanted to make amends. Why couldn’t she have just blocked his number and ignored him like everyone else did since he got back from the hospital?

“Hey Jeremy… you good?” Michael asked.

Jeremy gave a wordless nod, eyes still glued to his phone screen that was lit up with those two evil notifications. Even after the screen went dark, he just couldn’t avert his eyes. Did he really have to respond? Couldn’t he just go home and hide under his covers until Brooke forgot about him? With a sigh, Jeremy realized he should at least respond to Michael’s question.

“I’m fine,” Jeremy said. Michael raised an eyebrow and opened the door to his PT Cruiser.

“Yeah, sure. That explains why you’ve been staring at your phone like a crazy person for the past five minutes. What going on?”

Jeremy sighed, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes and groaning.

“Brooke texted me,” he said miserably. “She wants to meet up or something. To talk.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“No, it’s not nice! It’s absolutely, positively, not nice!” Jeremy held his head in his hands and let out another dramatic moan, not really having the words to describe how completely fucked he was. Michael just looked confused and started tapping on the steering wheel.

“Didn’t you guys like… date though?” Michael clearly didn’t grasp the absolute hopelessness of the situation. “So what’s the problem? She wants to hang out, right? Maybe she wants to get back together.”

“No way. With me?” Jeremy shook his head at the very thought. “It’s probably a joke. Or some kind of set up…”

“Do you really think Brooke would do that?” Michael said. “Like, I know she’s popular, but she’s not nearly as bitchy as Chloe.” That was true. She had always been sweet to everyone -- it was like second nature to her. But she wouldn’t be sweet to Jeremy. He didn’t deserve it after everything.

“I guess not,” he sighed. He was tired of this conversation.

“What are you gonna text back?” Michael asked. Jeremy let his head sink down like a weight and hit the dashboard with a dramatic _thud._ “I’ll take that as a no.” Jeremy couldn't do much more than let out a quiet, pathetic whimper. Michael rolled his eyes and grabbed Jeremy’s phone from where it was sitting in the cupholder.

 

| _Message to Brooke_ _Lohst_ |: michael here. jeremys a nervous wreck but he would love to

 

| _Message from Brooke_ _Lohst_ |: <3 aw how cute tell him i say hi!

 

Michael smirked and tapped Jeremy on his head, prompting him to look up. Then he practically shoved the phone in his face.

“Oh yeah, buddy. She sure hates you all right.”

 

…

 

Jeremy tried several times to hold his leg still. He really really tried. But he had so much nervous energy bottled up inside that he had to exert it somehow. And tapping a foot has better than screaming or rocking back and forth on the floor in the fetal position. So his foot continued up and down… up and down…

And suddenly everything stopped. Jeremy's foot froze, and his breath caught in his throat. Brooke Lohst was standing in the doorway, looking as stunning as ever. She was wearing a top he hadn’t seen before and tight-hugging skinny jeans. Her slick, long blonde hair cascaded down onto her shoulders like a sparkling waterfall. He was entirely mesmerized as she ran her delicate fingers throw her hair to get it out of the way of her soft, enthralling gaze.

_You fucking creep, stop checking her out._

“Jeremy!” Brooke walked over to his table and sat down, swinging her purse over the back of the chair in one smooth motion. Her brand-new green converse squeaked every time they met the floor. Brooke looked down, noticing Jeremy bouncing leg. “Hey look, we match!” She was referring to his black converse, which were beaten up and well loved for being the only pair he ever really wore.

“O-oh… yeah!” He was blowing this. He was completely blowing this. Brooke smiled sweetly and got up to order, not noticing (or maybe just not caring about) Jeremy’s blatant nervousness. Was it too cowardly to call up Michael and cry for an hour in the Starbucks bathroom?

He didn’t have to, it turned out. Brooke was kind to him. Exceedingly kind. About halfway through the coffee, he realized he was on a date. And he was completely okay with that, even if he knew deep down he didn’t deserve a second chance.

 

_3 Months Later_

 

They didn’t make sense together. Everyone knew it, but hell if they were going to say anything. Jeremy knew it too, and he knew Brooke was all too aware of it, but she didn’t seem to care. That’s because she’s popular, he told himself. She’s a god. She’s untouchable. Their relationship -- or fling or what it was that they had -- seemed forbidden by the laws of social hierarchy bullshit, and yet, here they were.

It took him many sleepless nights to clear his conscience. He wasn’t using her -- _he wasn’t_. Brooke was a nice person. A sweet person. With long blonde hair and impressive cleavage. And she liked Jeremy, for whatever reason, though he had yet to figure out just way. Was there really no one better for her to date?

He was definitely benefitting from the arrangement. What started as a coffee date turned into multiple hangouts, then meeting her friends, and then cementing a position as a pseudo-popular kid until the inevitable breakup, which would leave him back where he started as a forgotten nobody. A loser.

He didn’t want to go back to that.

 _Why?_ That was still the question. It bothered him so much that it was all he could think about when he saw her sometimes.

“Why?” he asked aloud one day as they sat on his couch watching _F.R.I.E.N.D.S._ re-runs. She hummed in response. “Why do you like me? It doesn’t make sense.” _What the fuck?_ he thought. _Why would I ask her that? Do I want her to throw me to the street?_

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Doesn’t make sense?”

“I’m kind of a loser,” he said. _No, not anymore,_ his mind corrected. _No need to remind her of how you’re selfishly benefiting benefitting from this._

“Yeah, I know,” Brooke agreed. “So what?”

“So,” he said pointedly. “You shouldn’t be dating a loser. I mean, come on, Brooke. It can’t be good for your reputation.”

“My reputation is fine, thanks,” she said, pinching Jeremy’s cheek playfully. “You make it sound like high school’s the motherfucking caste system.”

“It kind of is,” he laughed. “You just don’t realize because you’re on top.”

“Listen,  I don’t know what you’ve been stressing about,” Brooke said, rolling her eyes and pausing the TV. Ross and Rachel’s drama would have to wait. “Have you considered the fact that my friends like you? Because they do. I think you’re being ridiculous. Why are you so afraid of them?”

“Because,” he insisted. “They’re popular.”

“They’re people,” Brooke amended.

“Yeah? People are scary.” Jeremy leaned back on the couch and tilted his head to rest in the crook of Brooke’s neck. “It’s not like I can talk to Jake fucking Dillinger about Pac-man.”

“I like Pac-Man,” Brooke chimed in, running her nimble fingers through his hair. “And so does ‘Jake-fucking-Dillinger’. We used to play it together on the machine in that pizza place downtown. He rules at it. So don’t be so quick to judge!”

“I guess,” Jeremy said, sinking his face deeper into the shoulder of Brooke’s cardigan.

“Come on,” she said, bullying him off of her with a tiny shake. “Tell me what’s really wrong. You can talk to me!”

Jeremy took a deep breath in… then out. He grabbed the blanket that was draped over him and wrapped it tight around his shoulders, trying to provide himself with some comfort. Brooke took notice and ran a caring hand up and down his back.

“People are saying things,” he whispered.

“Saying things?”

“They’re saying I’m using you. I’m sure you’ve heard it all too.” Brooke didn’t say anything to that. “Do you believe it?”

“No,” she said firmly. “It’s bullshit. I’m sure people have told you stuff you’d never believe too, like I asked you out on a dare or out of pity or something silly. Do you believe that?”

“Well,” he admitted. “I know it’s not true, but sometimes… I don’t know.”

“It’s bullshit,” she repeated. “All the social hierarchy bullshit will be over in college anyway.”

That struck a dissonant chord inside of Jeremy. It was hard to remember that real life worked differently from high school. Once he graduated, any popularity he’d gained from the relationship would be nullified. He felt a pit growing in his stomach. He knew what this was. It was the horrible, gripping realization that he was an asshole.

 _They were right about you,_ a voice in his head that didn’t sound dissimilar to Keanu Reeves hissed. _You’re using her. You’re just in this for the popularity. It’s like you didn’t learn anything at all._

Was that really it? There was nothing in it for him except worthless, superficial high-school labels with a June 11th senior year expiration date? The pit grew deeper and deeper, and Jeremy felt sick.

“I’ll be right back,” he stuttered out, trying to appear nonchalant as he made his way to the bathroom and heaved his feeling and his lunch into the toilet bowl. He looked up and caught his reflection in the bottom corner of the mirror. He heaved some more.

 _Think, Jeremy, think!_ the voice taunted. _Tell me what you like about her._

She’s hot. _Asshole,_ the voice supplied. _That’s what assholes say._ She helped me make friends. _Popular friends, asshole._ She compliments me. _Asshole._ She has a nice chest. _Pervert. Asshole._ She’s popular. _Asshole. Asshole. Asshole._

He hated himself. He had to break up with her. He was hurting her. Brooke was too sweet to be used. He splashed water in his face and walked out of the bathroom to the couch where Brooke was sitting comfortably.

“Something wrong?” she asked with concern. Sweet, sweet, wonderful Brooke. _Foolish, foolish, naive Brooke._

“No, I’m fine,” he said on autopilot, snaking an arm around her shoulders as she pressed play. Jeremy heard forced, mocking studio laughter.

He couldn’t even hear any of the jokes or dialogue. Just laughter, laughter, laughter. Was this the same episode? He couldn’t even tell. All he could hear was the screaming laugher mocking him from the screen. The colors were blurring together.

“Jeremy!” Brooke said suddenly, running a finger under his eye and looking horrified. “Are you okay?” He slowly brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. Oh. He was crying.

“M’fine.”

“You aren’t,” Brooke said, fussing over him and tugging the blanket tightly around him. “Please let me know what’s bothering you. Is it something I did?”

“Something _you_ did?” he laughed humorlessly, the motion releasing a new batch of tears. “You haven’t done anything wrong. You’re perfect. It’s just… it’s me.”

“What do you-”

“The things they say about me are true! I’m _using_ you, Brooke! I’m hurting you… I don’t deserve to be with you, or anyone. You should just get as far away from me as possible.”

“No,” she said simply, looking at him with unwavering confidence. “You aren’t using me. You, Jeremy Heere, are a wonderful boyfriend. Now, why didn’t you tell me the SQUIP was back?”

“It’s not-”

“Jeremy.” Brooke gently grabbed Jeremy’s shaking hands and held them in her lap. “Michael told me you hear it sometimes. I didn’t want to confront you about it until you were ready to tell me but…” she sniffled a bit and forced out a half-smile. “Clearly it’s hurting you and making you believe things that just aren’t true.”

“I don’t even know if it _is_ the SQUIP,” Jeremy murmured. “I might just be going crazy. But it’s not wrong. I’m… I’m terrible.” Brooke shushed him by leaning forward and planting a slow, soft kiss on his lips. The tears kept pouring, but Jeremy melted into the kiss, lifting his chin and reciprocating.

“I love you,” Brooke whispered.

“I love you too.”

“Well, there you go,” Brooke said. “I don’t know about you, but that’s enough for me. I don’t care if you’re popular or not. I don’t care about your past mistakes. I just care about you and the guy you are now. And you’re a sweet little guy who loves me.” She pecked him on the cheek. Then again. And again. “And I know that not just because you told me, but because I feel loved whenever you’re around me.”

“Gosh, I-” His stammering was cut off as Brooke met his lips yet again, he hands fiddling with his t-shirt and caressing his curly mop of hair.

“You know, mine looked like Elle Woods,” Brooke giggled softly. “Who did your SQUIP look like? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Keanu Reeves,” Jeremy said, doing his best to smile. “I used to have a celebrity crush on him.” Brooke’s giggling got louder, as she shoved Jeremy away and shook her head. “He’s a good-looking man!” Jeremy protested. “It’s just the SQUIP that’s the asshole.”

“Hey, I have an idea,” Brooke said, changing the TV to the DVD setting. “I think I have _Man of Tai Chi_ in here somewhere. Keanu Reeves dies in that movie.”

“Brooke, you don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she said, giving him a soft look. “I want to help you work through this. And I want to be by your side through it. That’s what you do for the people who love you.” Jeremy could still feel tears rolling down his cheeks, but the pit in his stomach was quickly becoming a bright beacon. He leaped off the couch and tackled Brooke in a hug until they were a smiling mess, tangled up together on the living room floor.

I still don’t deserve her, he thought. But I can try to become someone who does.

**Author's Note:**

> another quick note: these route inspired oneshots are not canon to Be Less Single and often don't fit into that fanon at all. They're just for fun!


End file.
